Sword Beach

Sword Beach was one of five sectors assaulted by the Allied Powers during D-Day, the invasion of Normandy during World War II. The British assaulted an eight-mile stretch of beach between Ouistreham and Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer at the easternmost landing site of the invasion, and the Royal Navy - with the assistance of ships from Poland, Norway, and the Free French - bombarded the German defenses and swept for mines. The British faced patchy resistance at the beach, but they faced heavy resistance as they moved inland, and the 21st Panzer Division's counterattack halted further progress towards the British objective of Caen.